By: Laila Schwin and Valery Warner
February 24, 2022
Alvin Ailey is known for being a choreographer, dancer, and director for various dance companies and later for founding his own dance company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). His theater (and later the Ailey School) were created with the focus of highlighting black dancers and displaying African American experiences through dance performances.
Alvin Ailey was born in Rogers, Texas, on January 5, 1931. His father abandoned their family when Ailey was three-months-old. He and his mother were forced to work in cotton fields and as house servants to support themselves. They moved around a lot, and Ailey often stayed with relatives while his mother went out to find other work.
In 1941, Ailey’s mother moved to Los Angeles, California. A year later, Ailey followed his mother and enrolled in George Washington Carver Junior High School. He then graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School. In 1946, he began to gain an interest in dance after seeing the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and the Katherine Dunham Dance Company perform in Los Angeles. In 1949, Ailey began learning dance from Lester Horton at what was one of the only racially-integrated dance schools at the time. While learning dance, Ailey started studying writing and romance languages at UCLA. In 1951, he moved his studies to San Francisco State University and continued his academic focuses. While in San Francisco, he met Maya Angelou and performed a nightclub act called “Al and Rita” with her.
In 1953, Ailey made his debut as a dancer in Revue Le Bal Caribe, which was choreographed by his mentor, Lester Horton. Later that same year, Horton passed away, and Ailey filled his role as choreographer and artistic director for the dance company. Ailey started dancing as a pair with Carmen de Lavallade. The pair performed on Broadway in the musical House of Flowers. After that production closed, Ailey performed in a touring production by Harry Belafonte called Sing, Man, Sing. In 1957, he performed in the Broadway production of Jamaica.
In 1958, Aliey founded his own dance theater called the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Alivin created his theater to honor and celebrate black culture. The company had its debut at the 92nd Street Y. The performance included Ailey’s first masterpiece, Blues Suite. Two years later, he premiered his most popular and critical work, Revelations, again at the 92nd Street Y. After this performance and despite their success, the Ailey company struggled to find consistent bookings. The U.S. State Department sponsored AAADT’s first international tour in 1962, which traveled across Asia—with follow ups to Senegal in 1966 and East & West Africa in 1967. The company was eventually able to book a few American shows per season as well. After a successful week-long engagement at the Billy Rose Theater, the company was invited to become the resident company at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. This relationship did not last long, and Alvin began to struggle with tours again.
In 1970, with few bookings on the radar (and on the eve of a tour to Russia as part of a cultural exchange agreement), Ailey announced at a press conference that he was closing the company. That August, the company toured to Russia, where it was ecstatically-received. Their performances were broadcasted on Moscow television and viewed by over 22 million viewers. On closing night, because the Russian audiences would not stop applauding, the company gave over 30 curtain calls. Returning home, the company performed a two-week engagement at the ANTA Theater. By the end of the January 1971 performance, the entire show was sold out. After 13 years, Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theater was a monumental success. In August 1972, the company was briefly renamed the Alvin Ailey City Center Dance Theater and became a resident company of the New York City Center. Ailey’s work has been met with popular and critical acclaim. AAADT was formed to celebrate African American culture and to provide performances for black dancers, who were frequently denied opportunities due to race. Ailey proudly employed artists based solely on artistic talent and integrity, regardless of their cultural background.
In 1969, Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and paired with Fordham University to allow for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program through the dance school. The school started off in Brooklyn with 125 students and has continued to grow under various leaderships throughout its history. The Ailey School is now the largest dancing school in New York City.
Ailey died from an AIDS-related illness on December 1, 1989, at the age of 58. He asked his doctor to announce that his death was caused by terminal blood dyscrasia in order to shield his mother from the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS.
Ailey’s legacy and the work that he put into uplifting black dancers continues today and is an important part of his dance company and school that still continues to teach and impact new generations of dance students.
{Information retrieved from Biography.com and Pbs.org}
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 